Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013. More than a decade later, no one has come close to his most famous record.
He is the only cricketer in history to score 100 international centuries . He is the highest run-scorer in both Test cricket (15,921 runs) and ODI cricket (18,426 runs) . He played 200 Test matches—a number that felt impossible when he started, and still feels impossible now .
This is the career, the numbers, and the records that defined a generation.
The Career in Numbers
Here is the complete statistical record:
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | Centuries | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 200 | 15,921 | 53.78 | 51 | 248* |
| ODI | 463 | 18,426 | 44.83 | 49 | 200* |
| T20I | 1 | 10 | 10.00 | 0 | 10 |
Data: ICC Hall of Fame, CREX
The 100 Centuries: A Breakdown
The number is so large that it can be hard to process. Here is what it actually looks like:
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51 Test centuries — the most in Test history.
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49 ODI centuries — the most in ODI history.
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1 T20I appearance — no century, but he didn’t need one.
His first international century came in 1990, against England at Old Trafford. He was 17 years old . His 100th came in 2012, against Bangladesh in Mirpur . Twenty-two years between the first and the last.
The Records That May Never Be Broken
Some records are difficult. Some are impossible. Tendulkar’s fall into the second category.
Most Test matches: 200. No active player is close. The next highest in history is Ricky Ponting, with 168.
Most ODI runs: 18,426. The gap between Tendulkar and the second-highest (Ponting, with 13,704) is 4,722 runs. That is not a gap. That is a different career entirely .
Most international runs: 34,357 across all formats. No one else has crossed 30,000 .
Most international centuries: 100. Virat Kohli is the closest active player, and he is still 14 short, with only ODIs left to play.
My Take: The 100 Centuries Is Not a Record. It Is a Proof of Longevity.
Here is what the numbers hide. Tendulkar played international cricket for 24 years. He debuted at 16. He retired at 40.
The 100 centuries are not just about talent. They are about surviving. Through injuries, through form slumps, through the pressure of a billion people watching every innings. Through the shift from the 1990s to the 2010s, from the pre-T20 era to the IPL era, from a time when 250 was a good ODI score to a time when 350 became normal.
He adapted. He evolved. He kept scoring.
The modern game does not allow for this kind of longevity. Players are managed. Workloads are monitored. Formats are specialized. No one will play 200 Tests again. No one will play 24 years again. And no one will score 100 international centuries again.
The Legacy Beyond the Numbers
Tendulkar is not just a retired cricketer. He is a cultural figure.
He was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 2014 . He remains the only retired athlete consistently ranked among India’s top celebrity brands, with a brand value of $125.9 million in 2025 .
He is a mentor for Mumbai Indians. He has a foundation focused on child education and nutrition. He partnered with OpenAI in 2026 to help Indians use AI in their daily lives .
The records ended in 2013. The influence did not.
What This Means for Virat Kohli
Kohli is chasing 100. He has 86. He is 37. He only plays ODIs now. The math is brutal.
Sachin’s record was built on 24 years of all-format cricket. Kohli’s chase is built on a shrinking window. It is not impossible. But it is the hardest thing he has ever tried to do.
We analyzed the full math in our Kohli article.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many international centuries does Sachin Tendulkar have?
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51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs .
How many runs did Sachin Tendulkar score?
34,357 international runs. 15,921 in Tests, 18,426 in ODIs, and 10 in his only T20I .
Who has the most centuries in cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar, with 100 international centuries .
When did Sachin Tendulkar retire?
He retired from international cricket in November 2013, after playing his 200th Test match .
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